


Dear Roy Mustang

by bearonthecouch



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Birthdays & Holidays, F/M, Ishval Civil War, Letters, M/M, Open Relationships, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 03:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18307667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearonthecouch/pseuds/bearonthecouch
Summary: "I never know what to say."Very, very belated #HyuroiWeek Day 4: Valentine





	Dear Roy Mustang

“You're writing another letter to Gracia?”

Maes looked up. He fidgeted with the pen between his fingers. “I don't... I never know what to say.”

Roy kicked his heel against the hard-packed sand inside the officers' mess, the closest thing to a gathering place the camp had. He looked at Hughes, who was obviously looking to him for advice, but all he could do was shrug. He didn't write letters to anyone and never had, and even if he had, historically, he wouldn't do it from here.

“It's almost Valentines Day, Mustang.”

“Yeah,” Roy whispered.

He remembered class parties in elementary school, carefully scrawling his name on handmade cards after drawing and cutting out hearts with the help of his sisters. But Valentines Day as an adult was much more complicted. For one thing, it was for guys who had girlfriends. Even if you could find a giant teddy bear or a heart-shaped box full of chocolates in Ishval, which clearly you couldn't.

Hughes was still staring at him. Roy watched as Maes carefully folded up the half-written letter and tucked it into his pocket, then reached out to take his hand. Hughes's skin felt warm and solid against Roy's, and they rested together, palm to palm, fingers entwined.

“You could say 'I love you,'” Roy said simply.

Maes frowned. “To Gracia?”

“Yeah. Obviously. Why, what did you think I meant?”

Maes just grinned. “I could say 'I love you' to you too,” he pointed out, as he shifted closer to Mustang and rested his head on the younger man's shoulder, their hands still tangled together in between them.

Mustang squirmed away and shook his head, a warning. The middle of the officers' mess was a place for Valentines Day, with its requisite letters to and from girls, and definitely not... whatever the two of them were. They were in violation of the Military Code, among other things. As if any punishment for their “indiscretions” could possibly be worse than Ishval itself. Without Maes, Roy's not sure he would've survived this long.

“Major Mustang.” Roy spun around quickly, trying not to look guilty, as a young soldier with a mail satchel slung over his shoulder saluted him, and then handed him a letter.

Maes was smirking before the enlisted delivery man even walked away.

“It's not a valentine,” Roy growled.

“I didn't say it was.”

Roy held the letter carefully, knowing who it was from and afraid to open it. He felt bad enough in this hellscape without thinking of his family back in Central.

“Open it,” Hughes demanded.

“Write your letter to Gracia,” Mustang countered.

“Come on, Roy, _please_.”

It seemed to Roy that Hughes and his girlfriend were sending letters to each other every day, but he supposed that was only compared to the very infrequent mail that he received. And any correspondence from Central was something to be celebrated.

Roy slid the envelope open with his fingernail, then handed it to Hughes. He trusted his aunt and the girls enough not to put anything in there that he wouldn't want his best friend reading. Maes basically knew everything there was to know about him already.

“It's a birthday card,” Hughes said after a moment. He held it out toward Roy, who finally took it after losing an awkward staring contest.

“It's a month late,” he pointed out.

Maes shrugged. They both knew that a month late was preferable to the equally likely option of it never arriving at all.

Roy opened the card flat on the table, leaning over it and gauging the contents as best he could while Maes was watching him. As expected, it was one of his aunt's usual straightforward pep talks, with interjections and scribbled notes of good cheer from some of his “sisters.” Aunt Chris had had a father and two brothers in the military, she understood what war was. But she also understood that Roy was strong enough to survive it, even if he didn't always feel that way himself.

Roy closed the card, feeling surprisingly buoyed by the good wishes. Maes, of course, noticed his smile. He wrapped his arm around Roy and hugged him as tightly as he dared while they were in public, and then he completely ruined Roy's good mood by digging his knuckles into Roy's hair with a grin on his face. Roy scowled, and pulled out of Hughes's grasp.

“Happy birthday, Mustang,” Hughes sang cheerfully.

“My birthday was a month ago. And you are entirely too excited about this.”

Maes just continued smiling, and Roy sighed heavily.

“So are you going to write back?” Hughes finally asked.

Mustang's face grew deeply serious, and the exhaustion in his deadened eyes brought Maes quickly back to earth, reminding him instantly where they were. As if he ever could've forgotten.

“It's like you said,” Mustang said quietly. “I don't know what to say.”

Hughes unfolded his paper and laid it flat on the table, the letter he'd started to Gracia. He hadn't gotten past _Dear_. He sighed and looked back at Mustang. “I'm not that good a liar, and I don't know how to tell the truth.”

Mustang nodded his understanding. “But a Valentines Day letter is easy. Just tell her how much you love her and how much you can't wait to see her again. Tell her you never stop thinking about her.”

“Mustang...”

“It's not a lie, is it?”

“No.” But rather than take Roy's advice, Maes just folded up the letter again, leaving the table between them empty. “Roy, look at me.” Once Mustang's dark eyes met his, Maes squeezed his hand. “I love you,” he said simply. “That's not a lie, either.”

Roy nodded, and sighed, and smiled.

 


End file.
